Food Delivery and Feeding System

ABSTRACT

Systems, apparatuses, and methods are described for a food delivery and feeding. An apparatus may comprise: a housing, the housing comprising a housing outlet; and a storage compartment contained within the housing the storage compartment configured to store a plurality of food items for feeding one or more pets. The storage compartment may comprise a storage compartment outlet and two rotatable wheels. The apparatus may also comprise an ejection device contained within the housing. The ejection device may be configured to eject one or more of the plurality of food items. Rotation of the two rotatable wheels causes the one or more of the plurality of food items to move from the storage compartment through the storage compartment outlet to the ejection device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This Application claims the priority of Chinese Application202110460480.X, filed on Apr. 27, 2021. The entire disclosures of theprior application are incorporated herein.

TECHNOLOGY FIELD

The present application relates to the technical field of pet feeding,and in particular to a food delivery and feeding system.

BACKGROUND

Intelligent pet feeding devices with monitoring and feeding functionscan provide remote services. When a user (e.g., pet owner) is not athome, the user can monitor a pet using a pet feeding device, andremotely control the pet feeding device through a mobile phone to ejectfood items and interact with the pet. This remote interaction betweenthe user and the pet is becoming increasingly popular.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the feeding equipment of an embodimentof the present application.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the feeding equipment in FIG. 1omitting part of a housing assembly.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a storage device of an embodiment ofthe present application.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional diagram of the storage device shown in FIG.3 along A-A direction.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a storage drive assembly, a firstresilient wheel, a second resilient wheel, and a mixing wheel of thepresent application.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the storage drive assembly of anembodiment of the present application.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the drive shaft of an embodiment of thepresent application.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional diagram of the storage device shown in FIG.3 along the B-B direction.

FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged diagram of the storage device shown inFIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the ejection device of an embodimentof the present application.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional diagram of the ejection device shown inFIG. 3 along B-B direction.

FIGS. 12A-12D are schematic diagrams of the ejection gear of the presentapplication.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a drive shaft, a positioning member, asensing assembly, a second ejection drive assembly, and an ejection gearof an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a mobile member of an embodiment ofthe present application.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of the sensing assembly of an embodimentof the present application.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of an ejection member, an elastic memberand part of the ejection cavity of an embodiment of the presentapplication.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of a signal transmitter and a signalreceiver of an ejection device of an embodiment of the presentapplication.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram of a rotation device of the presentapplication.

FIG. 19 is an exploded diagram of the rotation device shown in FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of a rolling member and a cage of anembodiment of the present application.

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of a base and a second sensing element ofan embodiment of the present application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of thepresent application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodimentsof the present application will be described clearly and completelybelow in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application.Obviously, the described embodiments are a part of the embodiments ofthe present application and not all of them. Based on the embodiments inthis application, all other embodiments obtained without creative laborby a person of ordinary skill in the art fall within the scope ofprotection of this application. Without conflict, the embodiments andfeatures in the embodiments described below may be combined with eachother.

To solve the technical problem that the ejection force of the ejectiondevice in the related technology is seriously lost, the presentapplication provides an ejection device and a feeding equipment, theejection device includes an ejection cavity, an ejection member, anelastic member, an ejection gear and a first ejection drive assembly;the ejection member is provided in the ejection cavity and connected tothe ejection cavity by the elastic member; the ejection gear includes amain body and an engagement area and a toothless area provided on theouter periphery of the main body, the main body is connected to thefirst The body is connected to the first ejection drive assembly; theejection member is connected to a drive rack, and during the rotation ofthe ejection gear by the first ejection drive assembly, the engagementarea is directed toward the drive rack to engage with the drive rack, orthe toothless area is directed toward the drive rack to disengage fromthe engagement area.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of thefeeding equipment of an embodiment of the present application, and FIG.2 is a schematic diagram of the feeding equipment in FIG. 1 omittingpart of a housing assembly.

In one embodiment, the feeding equipment includes a housing assembly 10(e.g., a housing), a storage device 20, an ejection device 30, and arotation device 40. The housing assembly 10 is used to hold and carryother components of the feeding equipment. The storage device 20 isprovided in the housing assembly 10 for storing food particles. Theejection device 30 is provided in the housing assembly 10 and isconnected to the storage device 20. The ejection device 30 is located ona discharge side 211 of the storage device 20 (as shown in FIG. 3) forejecting the food particles (e.g., food items) from the storage device20, which means the food particles in the storage device 20 can enter(e.g., move to) the ejection device 30 and be ejected to the outside bythe ejection device 30, via an outlet on the housing assembly 10.

The rotation device 40 includes a base 41, a bracket assembly 42, a headdrive assembly 43, and a rolling structure. The bracket assembly 42 isrotatably attached to the base 41. The head drive assembly 43 isprovided on the base 41, and the head drive assembly 43 is connected tothe bracket assembly 42 to drive the bracket assembly 42 to rotate. Thehead drive assembly 43 could also be provided on the bracket assembly42, and the head drive assembly 43 is connected to the base 41 to drivethe base 41 to rotate. That is, the head drive assembly 43 is capable ofdriving the base 41 and the bracket assembly 42 to rotate relative toeach other. The rolling structure is located between the base 41 and thebracket assembly 42 to reduce rotational friction when the base 41 andbracket assembly 42 are rotating relative to each other, therebyimproving the stability of the rotation device 40. In other words, therotation of the holder assembly 42 relative to the base 41 causes thestorage device 20 and the ejection device 30 to rotate relative to thebase 41 or the holder assembly 42, thereby enabling the direction ofejection of food particles to be changed.

It is readily understood that if the rotational friction between thebracket assembly 42 and the base 41 is high and the rotation of therotation device 40 is less smooth, the stability of the rotation device40 will be bad. In this embodiment, the rolling structure enables thebracket assembly 42 to rotate at a uniform rate relative to the base 41to improve the stability of the rotation device 40.

It can be seen that the feeding equipment in this embodiment hascompleted functions, including food storage, food delivery and headrotation functions. The feeding equipment is designed reasonably, inwhich the direction of food particles delivery can be controlled, andthe rotation is stable, thereby the user's experience could be greatlyimproved.

The structure of the storage device 20, the ejection device 30 and therotation device 40 of the feeding equipment of this application aredescribed in detail below, to gradually clarify the working principle ofthe whole machine of the feeding equipment.

Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of astorage device of an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 4 is across-sectional diagram of the storage device shown in FIG. 3 along theA-A direction.

In the existing feeding equipment, the storage device is usually setwith rotating blades for driving the food particles to move, so that thefood particles could fall into the discharge side from the gap betweenthe blades during the rotation of the blades. Because the blades arefixed, the number of the falling food during the rotation is random, andthe quantity cannot be controlled. Because the distance between adjacentblades are fixed, food particles of larger size are easily stuck betweenthe blades and cannot be dropped. Another existing solution uses aslanting upward pusher to push the food particles into the dischargeside. Since the cross-sectional area of the pusher is fixed, when thefood particles are large, they tend to get stuck in the outlet sidecausing blockage, and when the food particles are small, multiple foodparticles will be pushed out at once, resulting in failure to eject. Inaddition, the storage cavity of the related technology is usually fixedin the feeding equipment and cannot be removed, which does notfacilitate cleaning of the storage cavity.

Thus, in one embodiment, the storage device 20 of the feeding equipmentincludes a storage chamber 21, a storage channel, and a storage driveassembly 24. The storage chamber 21 is used to hold and store foodparticles, and the storage chamber 21 is provided with an outlet side211 and an inlet side, wherein the user can load food particles into thestorage cavity 21 through the inlet side, and the food particles leavethe storage device 20 through the outlet side 211. The outlet channel isformed between at least two outlet wheels, the two outlet wheels areprovided on the outlet side 211, and at least one outlet wheel ispresent as a resilient wheel. At least two outlet wheels are eachconnected to the outlet drive assembly 24, and driven by the storagedrive assembly 24. The two adjacent outlet wheels rotate in oppositedirections to drive the material toward the outlet side 211.

The storage device 20 is applied on a feeding equipment, so theaforementioned material can correspond to food particles. When thestorage device 20 is applied on other kinds of devices, the material canalso be other substances. As the name implies, the elastic wheel iselastic and capable of deformation. When the storage drive assembly 24drives the two adjacent outlet wheels to rotate in opposite directionsto drive the food particles through the outlet channel, the two elasticoutlet wheels are capable of adaptive deformation. When food particleswith different sizes pass through, the elastic wheels could deform todifferent degrees to enable different sizes of food particles to passbetween the outlet wheels.

The outlet wheels are provided on the outlet side 211, the two dischargewheels are spaced apart from each other to form a discharge channel. Thetwo discharge wheels are connected to the storage drive assembly 24.Driven by the storage drive assembly 24, the two discharge wheels rotatein opposite directions to drive the food particles towards the dischargeside 211. The food particles are moved from the discharge channeltowards the discharge side 211. The two discharge wheels are designed tomove the food particles from the inlet side to the discharge side 211via the discharge channel as the food particles pass by. Moreover, theminimum width of the discharge channel varies with the size of the foodparticles. In other words, at least one of the discharge wheels is aresilient wheel with elasticity. When the food particles pass from thedischarge channel, the resilient wheel can deform to adopt differentsizes of the food particles passing between the outlet wheels, andreturn to the original shape after the food particles passed by. Theresilient wheels allow food particles with different sizes passingthrough the outlet channel.

In one embodiment, the resilient wheel is hollow inside to easydeformation. For example, one or more hollow portions are providedwithin the resilient wheel. Further, the outer periphery of thedischarge wheel is convexly provided with a one or more stirring parts,and the stirring parts can drive the food particles in the storagechamber to move, so that the food particles can move from the outletchannel to the discharge side 211, and finally be discharged via theoutlet side 211.

For example, the at least two discharge wheels include a rigid wheel anda resilient wheel. The rigid wheel is hard and does not easily deform.In general, the rigid wheel is not easily deformed, while the resilientwheel is easily deformed and can recover its original size and shapeafter deformation. The storage drive assembly 24 drives the rigid andresilient wheels to rotate in opposite directions to drive the foodparticles through the discharge channel. The resilient discharge wheelis capable of adaptive deformation to allow food particles of differentsizes to pass between the rigid wheel and the resilient wheel.

Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the at least two discharge wheelsinclude a first resilient wheel 22 and a second resilient wheel 23, witha discharge channel being located between the two resilient wheels. Thefood particles are able to move through the discharge channel towardsthe discharge side 211. As the food particles pass through the dischargechannel, both the first and second resilient wheel 22, 23 can bedeformed so that food particles of different sizes can pass through.

The following is an example of at least two discharge wheels includingthe first resilient wheel 22 and the second resilient wheel 23.

The storage drive assembly 24 is provided in the housing assembly 10.The storage drive assembly 24 is connected to the first and secondresilient wheels 22 and 23, respectively. The storage drive assembly 24is used for driving the first and second resilient wheels 22 and 23 torotate in opposite directions. The first and second resilient wheels 22and 23 are rotatably provided on the discharge side 211, and the firstand second resilient wheels 22 and 23 are spaced apart from each other.A discharge channel is formed between the first and the second elasticwheel 23 can drive the food particles to pass through the dischargechannel to limit the number of food particles passing between them andavoid too many food particles falling into the discharge side 211 at onetime.

As the name implies, the first elastic wheel 22 and the second elasticwheel 23 are elastic, which means they can recover its original size andshape after deformation. A minimum distance between the first elasticwheel 22 and the second elastic wheel 23 can change with the size of thefood particles, that is, the minimum width of the discharge channel canchange with the size of the food particles. When food particles ofdifferent sizes pass through, the first elastic wheel 22 and the secondelastic wheel 23 can undergo different degrees of deformation. After thefood particles pass through, the first elastic wheel 22 and the secondelastic wheel 23 can restore the original size and shape.

In this embodiment, the first elastic wheel 22 and the second elasticwheel 23 can drive the food particles from the storage chamber 21 to thedischarge side 211 by squeezing the food particles. The minimum distancebetween the first elastic wheel 22 and the second elastic wheel 23 canchange with the size of the food particles. When different sizes of foodparticles pass through, the degree of deformation of the elastic wheelchanges to fit different sizes of food particles.

Referring to FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of astorage drive assembly, a first resilient wheel, a second resilientwheel, a mixing wheel of the present application.

In one embodiment, the storage device 20 further comprises a mixingwheel 25 rotatably disposed in the storage cavity 21.

The mixing wheel 25 is provided with a mixing part 251 convexly on theouter surface of the mixing wheel 25, and when the mixing wheel 25 isrotated, the mixing part 251 can then rotate and poke the food particlesin the storage cavity 21. In this embodiment, by rotating the mixingwheel 25 in the storage cavity 21, the food particles can be stirred tomove continuously, and then the food particles could be driven by thefirst elastic wheel 22 and the second elastic wheel 23 to move towardsthe discharge side 211.

The structure of the first resilient wheel 22 and the second resilientwheel 23 of the present application, and how the first resilient wheel22 and the second resilient wheel 23 drive the food particles to passbetween them, are described below in connection with FIG. 5.

Specifically, the first resilient wheel 22 is provided with a firsthollow portion 221 and the second resilient wheel 23 is provided with asecond hollow portion 231, such that the first resilient wheel 22 andthe second resilient wheel 23 are easily deformed when food particlespassed by to facilitate the passage of an appropriate amount of foodparticles.

The first hollow portion 221 may run through the first elastic wheel 22along the axial direction Z1 of the first elastic wheel 22, the secondhollow portion 231 may run through the second elastic wheel 23 along theaxial direction Z2 of the second elastic wheel 23. When the foodparticles passed by, the first elastic wheel 22 and the second elasticwheel 23 are easily deformed due to the presence of the first hollowportion 221 and the second hollow portion 231 to facilitate the passageof the food particles between them. Additionally or alternatively, thefirst hollow portion 221 and the second hollow portion 231 may also beother shapes, such as honeycomb, etc.

The number of first hollow sections 221 may be a plurality, and theplurality of first hollow sections 221 are spaced apart from each otheralong the circumference R1 and the radial direction (not identified inthe figure) of the first resilient wheel 22. The number of second hollowsections 231 is a plurality, and the plurality of second hollow sections231 are spaced apart from each other along the circumference R2 and theradial direction (not identified in the figure) of the second resilientwheel 23. The radial direction refers to the direction through the axisin the radial plane. The first resilient wheel 22 as well as the secondresilient wheel 23 are susceptible to deformation when the firstresilient wheel 22 and the second resilient wheel 23 are in differentpositions relative to each other to facilitate the passage of foodparticles between them. The radial direction of the first elastic wheel22 is perpendicular to the axial direction Z1, and the radial directionof the second elastic wheel 23 is perpendicular to the axial directionZ2.

Further, the outer periphery of the first elastic wheel 22 is convexlyprovided with a first stirring portion 222, and the outer periphery ofthe second elastic wheel 23 is convexly provided with a second stirringportion 232. The first stirring portion 222 and the second stirringportion 232 are used to stir and drive the food particles to move.

The first stirring portion 222 extends along the axial direction Z1 ofthe first resilient wheel 22, and the second stirring portion 232extends along the axial direction Z2 of the second resilient wheel 23.Wherein, the axial direction Z1 of the first elastic wheel 22 and theaxial direction Z2 of the second elastic wheel 23 face the samedirection.

Additionally or alternatively, the first stirring section 222 may beinclined at an angle to the axial direction Z1 of the first resilientwheel 22, and the second stirring section 232 may be inclined at anangle to the axial direction Z2 of the second resilient wheel 23, and itis not strictly required that the first stirring section 222 and thesecond stirring section 232 extend along the axial direction Z1 of thefirst resilient wheel 22 and the axial direction Z2 of the secondresilient wheel 23, respectively.

When the first resilient wheel 22 and the second resilient wheel 23 areproperly assembled, the first and second stirring portion 232 are tiltedin an oblique upward direction. Both of them are away from the ejectiondevice 30 and toward the position where the discharge side 211 of thestorage cavity 21 is located.

Additionally or alternatively, the first stirring section 222 may beinclined at an angle to the axial direction Z1 of the first resilientwheel 22, and the second stirring section 232 may be inclined at anangle to the axial direction Z2 of the second resilient wheel 23, and itis not strictly required that the first stirring section 222 and thesecond stirring section 232 extend along the axial direction Z1 of thefirst resilient wheel 22 and the axial direction Z2 of the secondresilient wheel 23, respectively.

Additionally or alternatively, the first toggle portion 222 and thesecond toggle portion 232 may also be a star, square, round, or othershapes attached to the surfaces of the resilient wheels and protrudingthereof.

Referring to FIG. 4, rotating directions of the first resilient wheel 22and the second resilient wheel 23 are as indicated in FIG. 4. Foodparticles pass between the two wheels and have a tendency to move towardthe discharge side 211. The dotted lines in FIG. 4 are used to indicatethe path of movement of the food particles.

The two wheels can be flexible, etc. The first elastic wheel 22 and thesecond elastic wheel 23 could have a same appearance and structure tofacilitate production and save production costs. Of course, theappearance and structure of the two wheels can also be different andwill not be limited here.

Further, gaps could be formed between the two wheels and the cavity wallof the storage cavity 21, the gaps should be less than the minimum widthof the food particles so as to avoid food particles falling into theejection device 30 from the gaps rather than the outlet channel, thusthe number of food particles falling into the ejection device 30 couldbe well controlled. Further, when the two elastic wheels are notdeformed, the gap between them should be smaller than the minimum widthof the food particles food particle size, so as to avoid that foodparticles entering the ejection device 30 through the gap directlywithout squeezing the wheels. For example, the height of the two wheelscan range between 15-30 mm, and the gap between the two wheels canranges between 4-8 mm. It should be noted that the above-mentionedranges are for example only and are not meant to limit the specificimplementation.

Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of thestorage drive assembly of an embodiment of the present application.

In one embodiment, the storage drive assembly 24 includes a drive member241, a gear holder 242, and a plurality of drive gears 243. The drivemember 241 and the plurality of drive gears 243 are provided in the gearholder 242, and the drive member 241 is connected to the plurality ofdrive gears 243.

Further, the first resilient wheel 22, the second resilient wheel 23,and the mixing wheel 25 are each connected to a different drive gear243. The drive gear 243 connected to the first resilient wheel 22 andthe drive gear 243 connected to the second resilient wheel 23 areconnected to each other by an even number of drive gear 243 to enablethe two wheels to rotate in opposite directions.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the plurality of drive gears 243includes a first driven gear 2431, a second driven gear 2432, a thirddriven gear 2433, a fourth driven gear 2434, a fifth driven gear 2435, asixth driven gear 2436, and an active gear 2437. The active gear 2437 isconnected to an output end of the drive member 241, the first drivengear 2431 is engaged with the active gear 2437 and connected to thefirst flexible wheel 22, the second driven gear 2432 is connected to thesecond flexible wheel 23, the first driven gear 2431 and the seconddriven gear 2432 are connected to each other through the third drivengear 2433 and the fourth driven gear 2434 in turn, the fifth driven gear2435 is connected to the mixing wheel 25 and the fifth driven gear 2435is connected to the third driven gear 2433 through the sixth driven gear2436, the fifth driven gear 2435 is connected to the mixing wheel 25,and the fifth driven gear 2435 is connected to the third driven gear2433 through the sixth driven gear 2436.

It should be noted that the fifth driven gear 2435 connected to themixing wheel 25 does not necessarily need to be connected to the thirddriven gear 2433 through the sixth driven gear 2436. The drive gear 243connected to the mixing wheel 25 can also engage with other drive gear243 to enable the mixing wheel 25 to rotate and stir the food particles.The rotating direction of the mixing wheel 25 does not need to belimited. Among them, the above first driven gear 2431 to the sixthdriven gear 2436 is only for example, not to limit the specificimplementation, and can be adjusted according to the actual environmentin practice.

The first resilient wheel 22 and the second resilient wheel 23 can alsobe connected to the drive gear 243 via a drive shaft 26, where the driveshaft 26 can be a “hexagonal-cross” drive shaft (as shown in FIG. 7),etc., without limitation here. Specifically, the “hexagonal-cross” driveshaft, for example, has a cross-section of “ten” on one side and ahexagonal cross-section on the other side, one side of which can bethreaded with the first elastic wheel 22 and the second elastic wheel23, and the other side can be connected to the drive gear 243. The otherside is connected to the drive gear 243.

The drive member 241 may be a DC drive motor, to drive the drive gear243 to rotate. The plurality of drive gears 243 are connected to thefirst elastic wheel 22, the second elastic wheel 23, and the mixingwheel 25, respectively, so that the drive member 241 can drive the firstelastic wheel 22, the second elastic wheel 23, and the mixing wheel 25to rotate through the drive gear 243.

Refer to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 8, and FIG. 9, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectionaldiagram of the storage device shown in FIG. 3 along the B-B direction,FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged diagram of the storage device shown inFIG. 8.

The food particles are stored in the storage cavity 21, if the storagecavity 21 is not cleaned and disinfected for a long time, it will easilyaccumulate foreign matter and bacteria inside. Thereby, in oneembodiment, the storage cavity 21 of the present application isremovably provided in the housing assembly 10 (as shown in FIG. 1), sothat it can be easily removed.

Specifically, the storage device 20 has a locked state and an openstate. When the storage device 20 is in the locked state, the storagecavity 21 is fixed relative to the housing assembly 10 to avoid themovement of the storage cavity 21 within the housing assembly 10, thusensuring the safety of the feeding equipment. When the storage device 20is in the open state, the storage cavity 21 can be removed from thehousing assembly 10 to facilitate the user to clean the storage cavity21.

The storage device 20 includes a locking member 271, a locking drivemember 272, and an elastic member 273. The locking member 271 isconnected to a side of the housing assembly 10 toward the storage device20 through the elastic member 273. The locking member 271 is providedwith a first bevel 2711 toward the storage cavity 21. The locking drivemember 272 is provided with a second bevel 2721 back from the storagedevice 20. The first bevel 2711 and the second bevel 2721 are providedin close proximity. When the locking drive member 272 is moved by anexternal force, the second bevel 2721 can push the first bevel 2711 topush the locking member 271 to compress the elastic member 273, causingthe storage device 20 to switch from the locked state to the open state,thus the storage chamber 21 can be taken out. When the external force onthe locking drive member 272 disappears, the elastic return force of theelastic member 273 makes the locking member 271 push the locking drivemember 272 to reset.

The resilient member 273 can be a spring or the like, without limitationherein.

Further, the surface of the storage cavity 21 toward the locking member271 is provided with a buckling slot 212. As illustrated in FIG. 8 andFIG. 9, the extension direction and the movement direction of thelocking member 271 is perpendicular to the height direction X of thefeeding equipment (as shown in FIG. 2), and the extension direction andthe movement direction of the locking drive member 272 is the heightdirection X of the feeding equipment. Specifically, the locking member271 can move with the locking drive member 272 in the height direction Xof the feeding equipment so as to be selectively embedded in the lockingslot 212. When the storage device 20 is in the locked state, the lockingmember 271 is embedded in the locking slot 212, and the storage device20 is fixed to the feeding equipment. When the storage device 20 is inthe open state, the locking member 271 is detached from the groove 212,and the storage chamber 21 can be removed at this time. Duringinstallation, the locking member 271 is attached to the storage chamber21, and when the locking slot 212 passes the latching member 271, theelastic return force of the elastic member 273 makes the locking member271 embedded in the locking slot 212, thus locking the storage device20.

Referring to FIG. 2 as well as FIG. 4. In one embodiment, to detectremaining amount of food particles in the storage chamber 21, thestorage device 20 further includes a signal transmitter 281 and a signalreceiver 282 for detecting whether there are less than a predeterminedamount of food particles in the storage chamber 21. The signal emittedby the signal transmitter 281 is transmitted to the signal receiver 282via the storage chamber 21.

The signal transmitter 281 and the signal receiver 282 are provided onopposite sides of the storage chamber 21. In alternative embodiments,the signal transmitter 281 and the signal receiver 282 can also be inother positions, for example, the signal transmitter 281 and the signalreceiver 282 are located on a same side, and by setting a reflector toreflect the signal, etc., so that the signal receiver 282 can receivethe signal emitted by the signal transmitter 281 when the food particlesare insufficient, and avoid receiving the signal when the food particlesare sufficient.

The signal transmitter 281 and the signal receiver 282 can be infraredoptocoupler, etc. The infrared optocoupler is a detector consisting ofan infrared transmitter tube and a receiver tube. The receiver tubereceived an infrared signal sent from the infrared transmitter tube, andthe signal will be interrupted when the infrared light is blocked. Whenthe remaining food particles in the storage cavity 21 cannot reach theposition of the signal transmitter 281 and the signal receiver 282, asignal bridge is built up between the receiver 282 and the signaltransmitter 281, such as infrared signal, etc., which shows that thereare no enough food particles stored in the storage chamber 21, and analert message can be sent to the user, so that the user can replenishthe food particles to the feeding equipment in time. Wherein, the signaltransmitter 281 and signal receiver 282 are positioned in a same height,when the remaining food particles in the storage chamber 21 reaches thesame height with the signal transmitter 281, the amount of the foodparticles equals the preset amount.

Further, in order to facilitate the signal transmission from the signaltransmitter 281 to the signal receiver 282, the feeding equipment alsoincludes a first window 291 and a second window 292, the first window291 and the second window 292 are provided on opposite sides of thestorage cavity 21, wherein the first window 291 and the second window292 are transparent to facilitate signal transmission. When the storagechamber 21 is installed in the feeding equipment 20, the signals emittedby the signal transmitter 281 pass through the first window 291, thesecond window 292 and the signal receiver 282 in turn.

It can be seen that when the stirring wheel of the storage devicerotates, the stirring portion can poke the food particles in the storagechamber toward the first and second elastic wheels, and the first pokingpart of the first elastic wheel and the second poking part of the secondelastic wheel can poke and squeeze the food particles, so that the foodparticles pass between them and fall into the ejection device andejected to the outside by the ejection device.

The structure and the principle of the ejection device 30 will bedescribed below.

Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11 in combination, FIG. 10 is aschematic diagram of the ejection device of an embodiment of the presentapplication. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional diagram of the ejection deviceshown in FIG. 3 along the B-B direction.

The present invention aims to solve the technical problem that theejection distance of the ejection device 30 is not changeable in therelated technology. In one embodiment, the ejection device 30 and thestorage device 20 are provided sequentially along the height direction Xof the feeding equipment, and the ejection device 30 includes anejection chamber 31, an ejection member 32, an elastic member 33 (e.g.,a spring), an ejection gear 34, and a first ejection drive assembly 35.

The ejection chamber 31 is provided in the housing assembly 10 andconnected to the storage device 20, and the food particles in thestorage chamber 21 (as shown in FIG. 3) can fall into the ejectionchamber 31 through the discharge side 211. The ejection member 32 isprovided in and connected to the ejection chamber 31 by the elasticmember 33, and the ejection member 32 is connected to a drive rack 321.

The ejection gear 34 of the ejection device 30 includes a body 341 andan engagement zone and a gearless zone 343 disposed on the outerperiphery of the body 341; as the name implies, the engagement zone hasengagement teeth while the gearless zone 343 does not have engagementteeth. The ejector gear 34 is connected to the first ejector driveassembly 35, i.e., the body 341 is connected to the first ejector driveassembly 35, and the first ejector drive assembly 35 is capable ofrotating the ejector gear 34 with the drive rack 321 selectivelyengaging the engagement zone. During the rotation of the ejection gear34, the engagement zone engages the drive rack 321 or the gearless zone343 disengages from the engagement zone. Thus, in this embodiment,during the rotation of the ejection gear 34, when the engagement area ofthe ejection gear 34 is facing the driving rack 321, the engagement areaengages with the driving rack 321, i.e., the ejection gear 34 isconnected to the ejection member 32, and the ejection gear 34 rotatesand drives the ejection member 32 to compress the elastic member 33. Or,when the toothless area 343 of the ejection gear 34 is facing thedriving rack 321 of the ejection member 32, the ejection member 32disengages from the ejection gear 34 and the elastic return force of theelastic member 33 drives the ejection member 32 to eject the foodparticles to the outside, reducing the loss of ejection force during theejection process.

Please continue to refer to FIG. 2, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11 in conjunction.In one embodiment, the engagement zone includes at least two sets ofengagement groups 342 (as shown in FIG. 12A), the body 341 and the firstejection drive assembly 35 are connected, the at least two sets ofengagement groups 342 are provided sequentially along the axialdirection Z3 of the body 341, each engagement group 342 includes anumber of engagement teeth, and a number of engagement teeth of eachengagement group 342 are provided sequentially along the circumferentialdirection R3 of the body 341. Therein, the toothless zone 343 is locatedbetween the first and last two engagement teeth of the engagement group342 on the circumferential R3 of the body 341.

A number of engagement teeth of each engagement group 342 have differentlengths along the circumference R3 of the body 341. When the firstejection drive assembly 35 drives the ejection gear 34, the engagementteeth engage with the drive rack 321, the ejection gear 34 moves theejection member 32 and the resilient member 33 is in compression. Whenthe toothless region 343 of the ejection gear 34 is facing the ejectionmember 32, the engagement group 342 no longer engages with the driverack 321, i.e., the ejection member 32 is disengaged from the ejectiongear 34 and the resilient response force pushes the ejection member 32within the ejection chamber 31, i.e., allowing the ejection member 32 toeject to eject the food particles away from the feeding equipment.

Further, the ejection device 30 further includes a second ejection driveassembly 36 provided in the ejection chamber 31, and the second ejectiondrive assembly 36 is connected to the ejection gear 34. The secondejection drive assembly 36 drives the ejection gear 34 to move, and themoving direction is perpendicular to the extension direction of thedrive rack 321, to facilitate the connection between drive rack 321 anddifferent engagement groups 342.

The second ejection drive assembly 36 is connected to the ejection gear34 for driving the ejection gear 34 along its axial direction Z3 (asshown in FIG. 12A), causing the engagement gear set 342 to selectivelyengage with the drive rack 321. Different engagement lengths ofdifferent engagement groups 342 vary, and when the ejection gear 34engages with different engagement groups 342, the degree of compressionof the elastic member 33 varies, corresponding to different ejectionforces, enabling the ejection device 30 to provide different ejectiondistances.

The ejection member 32 is provided in the ejection cavity 31 and isconnected to the ejection cavity 31 by a resilient member 33. the body341 of the ejection gear 34 is connected to a first ejection driveassembly 35, and the ejection member 32 is provided with a drive rack321. at least two engagement groups 342 provided on the outer peripheryof the body 341 selectively engage with the drive gear 362. When thefood particles in the storage device 20 fall into the ejection chamber31, the first ejection drive assembly 35 drives the ejection gear 34 torotate, driving the ejection member 32 to compress the elastic member33, and when the ejection gear 34 rotates to the toothless area 343, theejection gear 34 disengages from the drive rack 321, at which time theelastic restoring force of the elastic member 33 can be converted to adriving rack 321. The elastic return force of the elastic member 33 canbe converted into the ejection force of the ejection member 32 to ejectthe food particles.

Moreover, a number of engagement teeth of each engagement group 342 havedifferent lengths on the circumferential R3 of the body 341 of theejection gear 34, and the second ejection drive assembly 36 connects theejection gear 34 to drive the ejection gear 34 along the axial Z3 of theejection gear 34 such that each engagement group selectively engages thedrive rack 321. In this way, when the drive rack 321 is engaged witheach engagement group 342 of different lengths respectively, it moves inthe ejection chamber 31 at different distances, which means that thedegree of compression of the elastic member 33 is also different, andthe elastic reversion force of the elastic member 33 converts todifferent ejection strengths, i.e., the ejection device 30 is able toprovide multiple ejection strengths to vary the ejection distance of thefood particles.

Referring to FIGS. 12A-12D, which are schematic diagrams of thestructure of the ejection gear of the present application. Part of theengagement teeth of the ejection gear 34 are common to each engagementgroup 342, thus simplifying the structure of the ejection gear 34 andhelping to reduce the size of the ejection gear 34.

The at least two engagement groups 342 may include a first engagementgroup 3421, a second engagement group 3422, and a third engagement group3423 provided along the axial Z3 of the body 341 of the ejection gear34. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 12B, the respective engagementteeth of the first engagement group 3421, the second engagement group3422, and the third engagement group 3423 are connected to simplify thestructure of the ejection gear 34 simple and easy manufacture.

The respective engagement teeth of the first engagement group 3421, thesecond engagement group 3422, and the third engagement group 3423 arenot connected, that is, any adjacent engagement teeth are independent ofeach other, they could be staggered (as shown in FIG. 12C) or spacedapart (as shown in FIG. 12D), etc., without limitation herein.

Referring to FIG. 10, FIG. 11, and FIG. 13, FIG. 13 is a schematicdiagram of a drive shaft, a positioning member, a sensing assembly, asecond ejection drive assembly, and an ejection gear of an embodiment ofthe present application.

In one embodiment, the first ejection drive assembly 35 includes a drivemember 351 and a drive shaft 352. The drive member 351 is provided inthe ejection chamber 31 and connected to the body 341 of the ejectiongear 34 via the drive shaft 352. The drive shaft 352 is driven to rotateby the drive member 351. The body 341 is driven to rotate by the driveshaft 352, thereby driving the ejection gear 34 to rotate, i.e., thedrive member 351 drives the body 341 to rotate.

The drive member 351 can be a motor, etc., such as a 35 OD permanentmagnet stepper motor, etc., without limitation herein.

Further, the second ejection drive assembly 36 includes a drive member361, a drive gear 362, and a moving member 363. The drive member 361 isprovided in the ejection chamber 31 and is connected to the drive gear362, i.e., the drive member 361 is capable of rotating synchronouslywith the drive gear 362. The moving member 363 is provided with a movingrack 3631 that engages with the driving gear 362, and the ejection gear34 is mounted on the moving member 363. The driving member 361 drivesthe moving member 363 to move along the driving axis 352, which in turndrives the ejection gear 34 to move along the driving axis 352, so thatthe driving rack 321 of the ejection member 32 engages with a differentset of engagement teeth 342, thus providing different ejection forcesand producing different ejection distances.

Wherein, the drive member 361 may be a motor, etc., such as a 24 ODpermanent magnet stepper motor, etc., without limitation herein.

Further, in order to define the docking position of the ejection gear 34so that each engagement group 342 selectively engages the drive rack 321of the ejection member 32, the second ejection drive assembly 36 isprovided with open slots.

The moving member 363 is provided with a first slot 3632 and a secondslot 3633 spaced from each other (as shown in FIG. 14), correspondingly,the ejection device 30 includes sensing assemblies 371 and 372. When thefirst slot 3632 moves to the sensing assembly 371, and the second slot3633 moves to the sensing assembly 372, the engagement teeth of thesecond engagement group 3422 are capable of engaging the drive rack 321.When the first slot 3632 moves to the sensing assembly 372, theengagement teeth of the first engagement group 3421 are capable ofengaging the drive rack 321. When the second slot 3633 moves to thesensing assembly 371, the engagement teeth of the third engagement group3423 are capable of engaging the drive rack 321. When the second slot3633 moves to the sensing assembly 372, the teeth of the third gear set3423 are able to engage with the drive rack 321.

The sensing assemblies 371 and 372 of the ejection device 30 can be anoptocoupler, etc. Each sensing assembly 371 includes a transmitter tube3711 and a receiver tube 3712 (as shown in FIG. 15).

Specifically, for example, when the first slot 3632 moves with themoving member 363 to the sensing assembly 372, the sensing assembly 371is blocked while the sensing assembly 372 is not, i.e., the receivingtube 3712 of the sensing assembly 371 cannot receive the signal emittedby the transmitting tube 3711 of the sensing assembly 371, and thereceiving tube of the sensing assembly 372 is capable of receiving thesignal emitted by the transmitting tube of the sensing assembly 372, atwhich point the moving member 363 is docked to enable the firstengagement set 3421 to engage the ejection member 32.

In an alternative embodiment, the moving member 363 is provided withthree slots spaced apart from each other and the ejection device 30includes a set of sensing components. When the three different slots aredetected, the ejection device 30 controls the ejection gear 34 to stopat three different positions. The drive rack 321 of the ejection member32 can engage with different engagement groups 342 of the ejection gear34, thus changing the ejection force of the ejection device 30.

In another alternative embodiment, the at least two engagement groups342 include a first engagement group and a second engagement grouparranged along the axial direction Z3 of the body 341, the moving member363 is provided with a first slot and a second slot spaced apart fromeach other, and the ejection device 30 includes a set of sensingcomponents. When the two different slots are detected, the ejectiondevice 30 controls the ejection gear 34 to stop at two differentpositions. The drive rack 321 of the ejection member 32 can engage withdifferent engagement groups 342 of the ejection gear 34, thus changingthe ejection force of the ejection device 30.

In another alternative embodiment, the at least two engagement groups342 include a first engagement group and a second engagement grouparranged along the axial direction Z3 of the body 341, the moving member363 is provided with one slot, and the ejection device 30 includes afirst sensing component and a second sensing component. When the twodifferent slots are detected, the ejection device 30 controls theejection gear 34 to stop at two different positions. The drive rack 321of the ejection member 32 can engage with different engagement groups342 of the ejection gear 34, thus changing the ejection force of theejection device 30.

Please continue to refer to FIG. 10, FIG. 11, and FIG. 13 inconjunction. In one embodiment, the first ejection drive assembly 35further comprises a positioning member 353. The positioning member 353is provided on the drive shaft 352 and has a third slot 3531 extendingalong the radial Y1 of the drive shaft 352 (as shown in FIG. 13). Theejection device 30 further comprises a sensing assembly 373, a detectionsignal of the sensing assembly 373 is on a rotation path of the thirdslot 3531.

Specifically, when the ejector gear 34 rotates to the toothless area343, the ejector member 32 disengages from the ejector gear 34 to ejectthe food particles. The drive member 351 drives the ejection gear 34 tocontinue rotating, and the positioning member 353 rotates accordingly.When the third slot 3531 of the positioning member 353 moves to thesensing assembly 373, the ejection gear 34 rotates to the toothless zone343, and the teeth of the engagement group 342 do not engage with thedrive rack 321, at which time the drive member 351 stops working. Whenfood particles fall into the ejection chamber 31 again, the drive member351 drives the ejection gear 34 to repeat the action of ejecting thefood particles.

When the third slot 3531 moves to the sensing assembly 373, theengagement teeth of the engagement group 342 are not engaged with thedrive rack 321, i.e., the ejection gear 34 is in a disengaged state fromthe ejection member 32 to ensure that the degree of compression of theejection member 32 is not affected the next time the food particles fallin. It is easy to understand that if the engagement teeth of theengagement gear group 342 engage with the drive rack 321 when the thirdslot 3531 moves to the sensing assembly 373, i.e., if the ejection gear34 engages with the ejection member 32, when the food particles fallinto the ejection chamber 31 again, the rotating path of the engagementgroup 342 will be shorten, and decreases the compression of the elasticmember 33 and affects the ejection force of the ejection device,resulting in a smaller ejection force.

The drive shaft 352 is provided with a mounting section 3521 and theejection gear 34 is provided with a mounting slot 344, while thepositioning member 353 is also provided with a mounting slot (not shownin the figure), so that the drive shaft 352, the ejection gear 34 andthe positioning member 353 can have a relatively fixed position to easyassembly. Further, the drive shaft 352 and the ejection gear 34 may beprovided with opposing abutting surfaces (not identified in the figure)to enable the drive shaft 352 and the ejection gear 34 to be connectedstably to avoid wobbling during rotation. The abutting surfaces may beprovided on opposing sides of the drive shaft 352 and on opposing sidesof the inner ring of the ejection gear 34, respectively. A mounting part3521 can be provided on the abutting surface of one side of the driveshaft 352, and the mounting slot 344 can be provided on the abuttingsurface of one side of the ejection gear 34.

The following specifies how the ejection chamber 31 is connected to theejection chamber 31 by the elastic member 33. Referring to FIG. 10, FIG.11, and FIG. 16 in combination, FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of anejection member, an elastic member and part of the ejection cavity of anembodiment of the present application.

In one embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the ejector member 32is convexly provided with an attachment portion 322. One end of theelastic member 33 is attached to the attachment portion 322 and theother end is attached to the ejection chamber 31, so that the ejectionmember 32 can be connected to the ejection chamber 31 by the elasticmember 33. The elastic member 33 can be compressed by the attachmentportion 322 when the driving rack 321 of the ejection member 32 is movedby the engaging group 342 of the ejection gear 34.

Further, the elastic member 33 can be provided in a guide rail 331, thatis, one end of the guide rail 331 is against the ejection chamber 31,and the other end is penetrated in the abutting part 322 of the ejectionmember 32. The abutting part 322 can move along the guide rail 331, sothat the elastic member 33 can move stably.

Further, the ejection device 30 also includes a protection member 332,the protection member 332 is provided on the side of the abutting part322 not abutting the elastic member 33. When the elastic member 33pushes the ejection member 32 to move, the ejection member 32 will notknock the ejection chamber 31 directly and avoid generating noise,potential damage caused by the impact between the ejection member 32 andthe ejection chamber 31 could also be avoided, thus the safety andreliability of the ejection device 30 are improved.

Referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 10, and FIG. 17 in combination, FIG. 17 is aschematic diagram of the signal transmitter and the signal receiver ofthe ejection device of the present application.

In one embodiment, the top of the ejection chamber 31 is provided withan inlet 311, the inlet 311 is connected to the storage device 20, andthe food particles in the storage device 20 enter the ejection chamber31 from the inlet 311.

Further, the ejection device 30 further comprises a signal transmitter391 and a signal receiver 392, the signal transmitter 391 and the signalreceiver 392 are provided on opposite sides of the ejection chamber 31for detecting whether food particles fall into the ejection chamber 31from the inlet 311. When food particles are detected by the signaltransmitter 391 and the signal receiver 392, the first ejection drivemember drives the ejection gear 34 rotates.

The signal transmitter 391 and signal receiver 392 can be infraredoptocoupler, etc. When the signal receiver 392 does not receive thesignal emitted by the signal transmitter 391, it is considered that thefood particles fall into the ejection cavity 31 from the inlet 311, thenfeedback the corresponding information to the feeding equipment, thefeeding equipment controls the ejection device 30 to eject the foodparticles.

Please refer to FIG. 1, FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 in conjunction. In oneembodiment, the bottom of the ejection chamber 31 is provided with afirst discharge port 381, the ejection device 30 also includes a fooddischarge member 383, the food discharge member 383 is provided with afood discharge channel inside, the food discharge member 383 isconnected to the first discharge port 381, the food residue in theejection chamber 31 is discharged from the first discharge port 381through the food discharge channel.

Further, the housing assembly 10 is provided with a second dischargeport 382 connected to the outside, and the food discharge member 383 isalso connected to the second discharge port 382. Food residue dischargedfrom the food discharge channel is discharged to the outside of thefeeding equipment through the second discharge port 382 to avoid thefood residue falling into the feeding equipment and polluting the insideof the feeding equipment, thus improve the safety and reliability of thefeeding equipment. That is, the side of the ejection chamber 31 thatcannot eject food particles is sealed so that food residues can beeliminated only through the first discharge port 381 to avoid foodresidues falling outside of the ejection device 30.

The feeding equipment further includes a collection tray 384, and thefood discharge member 383 can also be connected to the collection tray384, which is used to collect food scraps, and the collection tray 384is removably provided in the housing assembly 10 to allow the user toremove the collection tray 384 to dispose the food scraps.

Further, the exterior of the ejection chamber 31 is provided with afixed shaft 313, and the outer periphery of the fixed shaft 313 isprovided with a cushion ring 314, and the fixed shaft 313 is fixed tothe housing assembly 10 through the cushion ring 314 to enable theejection chamber 31 to be stably set in the feeding equipment. Thecushioning ring 314 can be a soft rubber ring, etc., to cushion theejection force of the ejection device 30, so as to alleviate thevibration of the whole machine caused by the ejection of food particles.

For example, the ejection chamber 31 is provided with four fixed axes313 on the outside to improve the stability of the ejection device 30.The specific number of fixed axes 313 can also be one, two, three oreven more, without limitation here.

In the existing feeding equipment, the ejection device usually uses acam to squeeze a pendulum, and then the pendulum drives a piston tosqueeze a spring. After the cam and the pendulum are disengaged, theelastic return force of the spring pushes the piston to eject the foodparticles. Because the self-weight of the pendulum and the mechanismdamping consume part of the elastic return force of the spring, theejection force used to eject the food particles is reduced. Also, inthis device, the compression distance of the spring is not adjustable,resulting in a non-adjustable thrust force that can be provided by thespring, and only a fixed ejection force can be used to eject the foodparticles. In other solutions, a motor is used to drive two identicalcams to squeeze the piston backward in a linear motion, and after thecams and piston are disengaged, the piston ejects the food particles. Inthis scheme, the distance between the cams and the pistons is fixed,which also leads to a non-adjustable ejection force.

The ejection device of the present application can eject food particlesby only pushing the ejection member through the elastic member, whichreduces the influence caused by the self-weight of the ejection deviceduring the ejection process and thus improves the ejection efficiency.Moreover, the ejection gear has at least two sets of engagement groupswith different lengths along the circumference, which makes the ejectionforce of the ejection device variable.

Further, the current feeding equipment in the related technology has aproblem that the ejection device is fixed and the ejection directioncannot be adjusted. To solve this problem, the present applicationdescribes a rotation device that drives the ejection device to rotate.The rotation device has a good stability.

Referring to FIG. 18 and FIG. 19 in combination, FIG. 18 is a schematicdiagram of a rotation device of the present application. FIG. 19 is anexploded diagram of the rotation device shown in FIG. 18.

In an embodiment, the feeding equipment of the present application isprovided with a rotation device 40.

In one embodiment, the rotation drive assembly 43 includes a drivemember 431 and a gear ring 4311 connected to the drive member 431. Thegear ring 4311 is fixed to a base 41, and the drive member 431 is fixedto a bracket assembly 42. When the drive member 431 is operating, thebracket assembly 42 and the drive member 431 could be driven to rotaterelative to the gear ring 4311 and the base 41, wherein the gear ring4311 and the base 41 remain motionless. Or, the gear ring 4311 is fixedto the bracket assembly 42, the drive member 431 is fixed to the base41, when the drive member 431 is operating, the gear ring 4311 and thebase 41 could be driven to rotate relative to the bracket assembly 42and the drive member 431, wherein the bracket assembly 42 and the drivemember 431 remain motionless.

Further, the rolling structure includes a plurality of rolling members44 spaced sequentially along a circumference R4 of a drive gear ring432. The rolling members 44 are sandwiched between the drive gear ring432 and the bracket assembly 42 to uniformly reduce the friction betweenthe bracket assembly 42 and the drive gear ring 432 when they moverelative to each other and improve the stability of the rotation device40.

The following is an example of an embodiment in which the drive member431 is fixed to the drive ring 432 and the drive ring 432 is fixed tothe base 41.

The drive member 431 is positioned in the bracket assembly 42 and isconnected to the drive ring 432. The drive ring 432 is laminated to thebase 41 and is fixed to the base 41, so that the drive member 431 candrive the bracket assembly 42 to rotate relative to the drive ring 432.Moreover, a number of rolling members 44 are sandwiched between thedrive gear ring 432 and the bracket assembly 42. The rolling members 44are distributed sequentially at intervals along the circumference R4 ofthe drive gear ring 432, thereby the rotational friction between thebracket assembly 42 and the drive gear ring 432 can be reduceduniformly, and improving the stability of the rotation device 40.Furthermore, since the rolling member 44 reduces the rotational frictionof the bracket assembly 42 as it rotates relative to the drive ring 432,it is able to increase the rotational speed of the rotation device 40and reduce the heat generated by the friction, thereby extending thelife of the rotation device 40.

As illustrated in FIG. 19, the drive gear ring 432 is a ring, theengagement teeth of the drive gear ring 432 are located in the innerside of the drive gear ring 432, such that the drive member 431 engagesthe engagement teeth located inside the drive gear ring 432 and canrotate relative to the drive gear ring 432 to drive the bracket assembly42 to rotate relative to the drive gear ring 432. In other embodiments,the engagement teeth of the drive ring 432 may also be located in theouter side of the drive ring 432, i.e., the engagement teeth areoriented away from the center of the drive ring 432, without limitationherein.

In combination with the above embodiment, the feeding equipment includesthe housing assembly 10, the storage device 20, and the ejection device30, etc. (as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2), and the above structure can befixed to the bracket assembly 42 of the rotation device 40 to be able todrive a synchronous rotation of the housing assembly 10, the storagedevice 20, and the ejection device 30 when the bracket assembly 42 isrotated relative to the drive gear ring 432. Thereby the ejectingdirection of food particles can be changed is a wide scale and theuser's experience can be improved.

Please continue to refer FIG. 18 and FIG. 19. In one embodiment, therolling members 44 are divided into at least a first rolling assembly441 and a second rolling assembly 442, the first rolling assembly 441and the second rolling assembly 442 each comprising a plurality ofrolling members 44. The first rolling assembly 441 is located on theside of the drive gear ring 432 toward the base 41 and the secondrolling assembly 442 is located on the side of the drive gear ring 432away from the base 41 to reduce rotational friction between both sidesof the drive gear 362 and the bracket assembly 42, so that therotational friction between the two sides of the drive gear ring 432 canbe balanced, and the stability of the rotation device 40 can be furtherimproved.

The rolling members 44 of the first rolling assembly 441 and the rollingmembers 44 of the second rolling assembly 442 are each spacedsequentially along the circumference R4 of the drive gear ring 432, sothat the rotational friction between the bracket assembly 42 and thedrive gear ring 432 can be improved uniformly and the stability of therotation device 40 can also be improved.

Further, the bracket assembly 42 includes a first bracket 421 and asecond bracket 422 provided in a cascade, the first bracket 421 isconnected to the second bracket 422, the driving gear ring 432 issandwiched between the first bracket 421 and the second bracket 422. Thefirst rolling assembly 441 is sandwiched between the driving gear ring432 and the first bracket 421, and the second rolling assembly 442 issandwiched between the driving gear ring 432 and the first rollingassembly 441. The first rolling assembly 441 improves the rotationalfriction between the first bracket 421 and the drive gear ring 432, andthe second rolling assembly 442 improves the rotational friction betweenthe second bracket 422 and the drive gear ring 432, such that the firstand second brackets 421, 422 can rotate synchronously relative to thedrive gear ring 432.

The rotation device 40 also includes a resilient washer 423, which isprovided between the bracket assembly 42 and the rolling structure,thereby reducing a gap between the rolling structure and the drive ring432.

The resilient washer 423 is provided between the first rolling assembly441 and the first bracket 421 and/or between the second rolling assembly442 and the second bracket 422, the resilient restoring force providedby the resilient washer 423 is used to press the rolling member 44against the drive ring 432 to reduce the gap between the drive ring 432and the rolling member 44 to avoid tilting or shaking of the rotationdevice 40, the stability and reliability of the rotation device 40 arethereby improved.

The resilient washer 423 is a wave washer. As illustrated in FIG. 19,the resilient washers 423 are complete rings, which in alternativeembodiments may be a number of circular washers with a wave shape (notidentified in the figures) and are not limited here.

The bracket assembly 42 further includes a third bracket 424 sandwichedbetween the resilient washer 423 and the rolling member 44 to furtherreduce the gap between the rolling member 44 and the rest of thestructure. As shown in FIG. 19, for example, the third bracket 424 isprovided on the side of the drive ring 432 toward the second bracket422. Since the elastic washer 423 is clamped between the second bracket422 and the third bracket 424, the elastic washer 423 can make the thirdbracket 424 have a tendency to move toward the rolling member 44 toreduce the gap between the third bracket 424 and the rolling member 44and the gap between the rolling member 44 and the drive gear ring 432 tofurther improve the stability of the rotation device 40.

The third bracket 424 may also be provided on the side of the drive ring432 facing the base 41 or one third bracket 424 on each side of thedrive ring 432, without limitation herein.

Referring to FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 in combination, FIG. 20 is a schematicdiagram of an embodiment of a rolling member and a cage of the presentapplication.

In one embodiment, the bracket assembly 42 further includes a cage 425provided with a cage slot 4251. The cage slot 4251 runs through the cage425 along the relative direction of the drive gear ring 432 and the base41, and the rolling members 44 are embedded in the cage slot 4251 forlimiting the relative position of the rolling members 44 on the radialY2 of the drive gear ring 432 to prevent the relative position of therolling members 44 from changing during the rotation of the bracketassembly 42.

Further, cages 425 are provided between the drive gear ring 432 and thefirst bracket 421 and between the drive gear ring 432 and the secondbracket 422, respectively. The rolling member 44 of the first rollingassembly 441 and the rolling member 44 of the second rolling assembly442 are embedded in the cage slot 4251 of the corresponding cage 425,the rolling member 44 of the first rolling assembly 441 is clampedbetween the drive gear ring 432 and the first bracket 421, and therolling member 44 of the second rolling assembly 442 is clamped betweenthe drive gear ring 432 and the second bracket 422, so that the rollingmembers 44 on both sides of the drive gear ring 432 can rollsynchronously to avoid the rolling members 44 from detaching from therotation device 40, thus improving the reliability of the rotationdevice 40. Optionally, the first rolling assembly 441 has the samenumber of rolling members 44 as the second rolling assembly 442.

As illustrated in FIG. 20, eight rolling members 44 are embedded in thecage 425, and the eight rolling members 44 are evenly distributed. Ofcourse, in alternative embodiments, the number of rolling members 44embedded in the cage 425 is not limited to eight.

Referring to FIG. 18, FIG. 19, and FIG. 21 in combination, FIG. 21 is aschematic diagram of the base and the second sensing element of anembodiment of the present application.

In one embodiment, the first bracket 421 is provided with a firstsensing element 451, the base 41 is provided with a second sensingelement 452 located in a rotation path of the first sensing element 451.The first sensing element 451 is able to move with the relative rotationbetween the bracket assembly 42 and the drive gear ring 432 to opposethe second sensing element 452 in order to limit the rotation range ofthe bracket assembly 42 relative to the drive ring 432.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 18 and FIG. 21, when the firstbracket 421 is rotated until the first sensing element 451 is oppositethe second sensing element 452, corresponding information is fed back tothe feeding equipment to control the drive member 431 to reverse therotation to drive the bracket assembly 42 to rotate in the oppositedirection. When the first sensing element 451 is again opposite thesecond sensing element 452, the drive member 431 is reversed to drivethe bracket assembly 42 to rotate in the opposite direction, and thecycle is repeated to limit the rotation range of the rotation device 40.

Further, the first bracket 421 is provided with a baffle 4211 extendingtoward the base 41, the base 41 is provided with a limit 411 located ina rotational path of the baffle 4211. The baffle 4211 is capable ofmoving with the rotation of the bracket assembly 42 to abut the limit411. The bracket assembly 42 can continue to rotate in the currentdirection of rotation when the stop 4211 is not abutting the limitportion 411. When the baffle 4211 abuts the limit portion 411, thebracket assembly 42 changes rotating direction to limit the relativerotation between the bracket assembly 42 and the drive gear ring 432.

In combination with the first sensing element 451 and the second sensingelement 452 described above, when the baffle 4211 of the first bracket421 abuts the limiting portion 411, the first sensing element 451 isopposed to the second sensing element 452 to limit further relativerotation between the bracket assembly 42 and the drive gear ring 432.

For example, the first sensing element 451 and the second sensingelement 452 can be Hall magnetic sensor and magnet, respectively, theHall magnetic sensor rotates with the first bracket 421, and when theHall magnetic sensor is opposite to the magnet, the corresponding signalcan be fed back to the feeding equipment. It can also be a magnet set inthe first bracket 421, Hall magnetic sensor set in the base 41, whichcan also achieve the above function.

The base 41 may be provided with an infrared optocoupler, etc., to feeda corresponding signal to the feeding equipment when the baffle of thefirst holder 421 passes the infrared optocoupler, without limitationhere.

Please continue to refer to FIG. 19. In one embodiment, thecircumference of the drive gear ring 432 is provided with a rollinggroove 4321 extending along the circumference R4 of the drive gear ring432, and the rolling structure is embedded in the rolling groove 4321,thereby avoiding the rolling structure from falling off, and thuscontributing to the safety as well as reliability of the rotation device40.

Specifically, the rolling member 44 is embedded in the rolling groove4321, and the rolling member 44 can roll along the rolling groove 4321with the relative rotation between the bracket assembly 42 and thedriving gear ring 432, thus limiting the rolling path of the rollingmember 44 and avoiding the safety hazard of the rolling member 44falling off, which in turn is conducive to improving the safety andreliability of the rotation device 40.

Some rotation devices in the related technology usually adopt theplastic axis hole structure, thus the rotation device can only drive theejection device to rotate 180 degrees. Because of the poor tolerance ofplastic material, it is easy to generate loose or tight problems. Whenthe plastic axis hole assembly is tight, the friction between theplastic axis hole and the other structures of the rotation device ishuge, resulting in a sharp increase in the rotation torque. When theplastic axis hole assembly is loose, there is a gap between thestructures of the rotation device, resulting in the rotation device isvery easy to shake. The high speed of the rotation device will generatea lot heat, but the plastic material has no high temperature resistanceand wear resistance and will damage the rotation device when the plasticaxis hole assembly is loose. Other rotation devices employ a groove ballbearing as a support. The single groove ball bearing will generate gapsin the radial and axial direction, resulting in easy skewed and shakingwhen rotation. If a double row rolling bearing is used as a support, thevolume of the rotation device will be increased significantly.

However, the rotation device described in the above embodiment canreduce the rotational friction between the bracket assembly and thedriving gear ring by the rolling member, and the elastic washer canreduce the gap between the structures of the rotation device andincrease the compression force between the constituent structures. Therotation radius of the rotation device is large and limitless (e.g., 360degrees), which can increase the rigidity and stability of the rotationdevice. The rotation device is configured to rotate in the range of 0degree to 360 degree. At the same time, the rotation device described inthe above embodiment has a simple structure and a small size which areconducive to reducing the volume of the rotation device.

Please continue to refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 in conjunction. In anembodiment, the feeding equipment also includes a camera device 50, thecamera device 50 can automatically capture the current position of thepet to drive the feeding equipment to rotate, thereby change theejection direction of the ejection device 30. Monitoring function canalso be achieved by the camera device 50 to increase the functionalityand fun of the feeding equipment.

Further, the feeding equipment further includes a power cord 60connected to an external power source to supply power to the feedingequipment from the external power source to maintain the functions ofthe feeding equipment such as feeding, ejecting food particles, androtation.

The storage chamber in the storage device is capable of storing foodparticles, and the food particles are pushed towards the first elasticwheel and the second elastic wheel by the mixing wheel, so that the foodparticles are driven by the first elastic wheel and the second elasticwheel to pass between them and fall into the ejection device through thedischarge side, thus ejecting the food particles to the outside by theejection device. Since the ejection gear has at least two engagementgroups with different lengths around the circumference of the ejectiongear, and with the moving member can make the ejection member havedifferent ejection force to change the ejection distance of foodparticles. The feeding equipment also has a rotation device. The storagedevice and the ejection device are provided in the bracket assembly sothat when the bracket assembly rotates relative to the driving gearring, the storage device and the ejection device can rotatesynchronously to change the ejection direction of the food particles,which is reasonably designed to improve the user's experience.

In addition, in this application, unless otherwise expressly specifiedand limited, the terms “connected”, “connected”, “laminated”, etc. areto be understood in a broad sense, e.g., they can be fixed connections.For example, it can be a fixed connection, a removable connection, or anintegrated connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirectconnection through an intermediate medium; it can be a connection withintwo components or an interaction between two components. To a person ofordinary skill in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms inthis application can be understood on a case-by-case basis.

Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are used only toillustrate the technical solutions of the present application, not tolimit them; although the present application is described in detail withreference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be understood by thoseof ordinary skill in the art that it is still possible to modify thetechnical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or to replacesome or all of the technical features thereof; and these modificationsor replacements, do not make the essence of the corresponding technicalsolutions out of the scope of the technical solutions of the presentapplication, and do not make the essence of the corresponding technicalsolutions out of the scope of the technical solutions of the embodimentsof the present application.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a housing, the housingcomprising a housing outlet; a storage compartment contained within thehousing, the storage compartment configured to store a plurality of fooditems for feeding one or more pets, the storage compartment comprising astorage compartment outlet and two rotatable wheels; and an ejectiondevice contained within the housing, the ejection device beingconfigured to eject one or more of the plurality of food items, whereinrotation of the two rotatable wheels causes the one or more of theplurality of food items to move from the storage compartment through thestorage compartment outlet to the ejection device.
 2. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein at least one of the two rotatable wheels is an elasticwheel and comprises one or more hollow portions.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 2, wherein movement of the one or more of the plurality of fooditems causes at least one of the one or more hollow portions to deform.4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the two rotatablewheels is a rigid wheel.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprisinga mixing device contained within the storage compartment, the mixingdevice being configured to advance the one or more of the plurality offood items to the two rotatable wheels.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5,wherein: the two rotatable wheels are spaced to form a channel, and thechannel is located between the mixing device and the storage compartmentoutlet.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage compartmentcomprises a mixing device configured to mix the plurality of the fooditems.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a base, whereinthe rotation of the ejection device relative to the base causes a changeto a direction of ejecting the one or more of the plurality of fooditems.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a base; and arotation device, wherein rotation of the rotation device causes rotationof the ejection device relative to the base.
 10. The apparatus of claim1, further comprising: a base; and a rotation device operatively coupledbetween the base and the housing, wherein rotation of the rotationdevice causes rotation of storage compartment relative to the base. 11.The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising: a base; and a rotationdevice operatively coupled between the base and the housing, whereinrotation of the rotation device causes rotation of the housing outlet tothe base.
 12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein: the rotation devicecomprises a motor and a ring gear, the motor is connected to the ringgear, the ring gear is connected to a bracket assembly, and rotation ofthe bracket assembly causes the rotation of the ejection device relativeto the base.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein: the rotation devicecomprises a ring, the ring is connected between the ring gear and thebracket assembly, the ring comprises a plurality of slots, and each ofthe slots is embedded with a rolling member.
 14. The apparatus of claim9, wherein the rotation device comprises one or more washers.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a camera attached to thehousing.
 16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the ejection devicecomprises an ejection member, a spring, and an ejection gear, movementof the ejection member causes the ejection device to engage with a firstpart of a plurality of parts of the ejection gear, and the spring andthe engagement with the first part of the plurality of parts of theejection gear cause the ejection of the one or more of the plurality offood items at a first length.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:movement of the ejection member causes the ejection member to engagewith a second part of the plurality of parts of the ejection gear, andthe engagement with the second part of the plurality of parts of theejection gear causes ejection of another one or more of the plurality offood items at a second length, the second length being different fromthe first length.
 18. An apparatus comprising: a base; a rotation deviceconnected to the base; a storage compartment configured to store aplurality of food items for feeding one or more pets, wherein thestorage compartment comprises two rotatable wheels; and an ejectiondevice operatively connected to the storage compartment and the rotationdevice, wherein: rotation of the two rotatable wheels causes one or moreof the plurality of food items to move from the storage compartment tothe ejection device, and the ejection device is configured to eject, theone or more of the plurality of food items from the apparatus.
 19. Theapparatus of claim 18, wherein at least one of the two rotatable wheelsis an elastic wheel and comprises one or more hollow portions.
 20. Theapparatus of claim 18, wherein movement of the one or more of theplurality of food items causes at least one of the one or more hollowportions to deform.